Sandy Waters
by iflip4dolphins
Summary: Naiads, spirits of water, cannot survive for long in the harsh desert. When Gaara, a sand spirit, saves a water spirit courtesy of his sister, they are both thrust into a journey that will change their lives forever. AU GaaHina
1. Desert Spirit

_Disclaimer: Really, now. If I owned Naruto, do you think I'd be sitting here wasting my time writing fanfiction about it? Didn't think so._

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Tainted crimson with blood, sand shifted underneath his sandaled feet. Small whirlwinds of sand spun at his ankles, giving him the appearance of one who was floating above the sand as opposed to walking on it. The desert sun beat down heavily on the grainy surface, heating up the dunes which let off heat waves, making the man look almost like an illusion, a mirage.

He was no mirage.

Blood dripped from his fingers, staining the sand he walked on. A black cloak swirled and danced behind him in the desert wind, his mop-like red hair blowing into his teal eyes, rimmed with black. The blood on his hand was not his own, indeed, it wasn't even human. Several yards behind him lay the body of a giant sand worm, dead, it was curled in a pool of its own blood that was hurriedly sinking into the sand. It was this blood that stuck to his skin, this foul smelling blood that dripped from his fingers. The heat of the desert caused it to stink with a strange sulfur smell. The man ignored it, the heat, and the sand that threatened to blow into his eyes, and trudged out away from the body of the worm and over a dune to vanish as sand from the dune rose to scrub his hand clean of blood.

"Gaara…" the sand filled wind seemed to whisper in his wake.

"What," he replied quietly to it without any questioning tone to his voice.

"What, not scared?" the wind asked, taking on a lighter pitch.

"Temari, knock it off. What is it?"

"Oh, all right." The wind sighed, and when it spoke again, it was in a feminine, business-like tone. "There's someone unconscious near you. Smells like the forest."

"The desert takes many lives," Gaara murmured quietly, certain the wind would pick it up and bring his message to the spirit sending it.

The reply was an irritated sigh. "This isn't just an ordinary person, Gaara."

Gaara waited for elaboration, and got it. "It's a water spirit."

A water spirit! Gaara's teal eyes widened in shock. Water spirits never came into the desert, not unless they absolutely had to. Living in and of the water, the dry heat of the desert was fatal to them. Never before had he seen one brave enough to dare the desert, except for the ones that lived year round in the few oasis's that dotted the landscape. Those, however, were adapted for life in the dry season and could hibernate in the trickles and pools that formed in place of the lake-like oasis's in which they lived.

"There's got to be something going on," Temari continued, her voice still carried on the wind. "You can't just leave her there to die."

There was a long pause. A slight wind nudged Gaara in the side tentatively. At length, he said, "Where?"

"About a quarter of a mile northwest," the wind sent back, relieved. "I'd hurry if I were you. She looks like she's in bad shape."

"Water spirits have no place in a desert," Gaara replied simply, setting off in the correct direction. He heard a scoff carried on a breeze that passed by his ear.

"She probably didn't have a choice," the wind spirit informed him on a wind that circled him. "Why else would she be here?"

"Suicide," he replied simply.

"I doubt that."

Gaara did not reply, his attention caught by a still figure half buried in the sand. By raising his hand and drawing his fingers into his palm, he called the sand that covered her towards him and, at the same time, stepped closer. By the time he reached her, very few grains of sand dotted her skin. Gaara knelt next to her to get a better look, and inwardly agreed with his sister: She was indeed in bad shape.

The spirit's pale skin was reddened by sun and under that, pale and pinched. He reached out a finger and touched her experimentally. The papery feeling of her skin underneath his finger confirmed her extreme dehydration. He was unable to see her face though it was turned towards him on account of her limp violet locks of hair that cascaded over her face and down her back, a great contrast to the light flowing robes of white she wore.

"Pretty, isn't she?"

Gaara did not deign to give her a reply. He closed his eyes, sighed, then opened them and ever so gently slid his arms underneath the woman and lifted her into his arms. He ignored his sister's wind-sent snicker and stood to leave in the direction of the closest oasis, which, unluckily, happened to have a water spirit (or naiad, as this one liked to be called) living in it. Though not familiar with all the people that lived in his desert, Gaara made it a point to know where they all lived and who they were so that he could deal with them.

He checked the naiad in his arms and noted with a very distant feeling of alarm that her chest was rising and falling very slowly, and so faint that he could barely see it. After all, whatever was happening to her that caused her to race into the desert during the hottest part of the day, besides demonstrating lack of common sense when it came to the dry, sandy area, could potentially hit his desert as well, and that would be information he would need. Gaara stopped, concentrated on the sand below his feet so that it rose and solidified into a platform, and then directed it towards the oasis so that he moved towards it much faster than he had before. He honestly didn't care about the naiad, but about what information she might have. He could not and would not let her die before she had a chance to explain.

The oasis shimmered into view on the horizon, appearing much further away than it actually was. Gaara closed his eyes and felt outwards with his sand-senses to where it was wetter, damper, just before it turned to earth. That feeling came from about ten yards ahead, and so he opened his eyes, directed his platform there, and let it land and trickle into the other grains of sand.

"Kurenai," he called, walking past several palm trees, his feet bending green springy grass down to the ground that would bounce back up when he walked past. The lake that centered in the oasis was large, a mile wide at least. It also happened, whether by lucky chance or pure coincidence, to be the largest oasis in his desert. This was in part because of its relative closeness to the edge of the desert, only about ten or so miles in. During the dry season, the lake shrank significantly, but luckily it was the rainy season, though they had only had about one flash flood throughout it all though it was nearing the end.

The upper torso and head of an older female slid out of the water near the bank. Her brown hair glistened under the harsh sunlight and flowed over her shoulders. She wore what appeared to be a seamless red and white dress, though it was impossible to tell through the water.

"Gaara," Kurenai inclined her head politely. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

Wordlessly, Gaara stepped out from the half-shadow that the palm tree had created, showing the naiad the unconscious woman in his arms. Kurenai gasped and a long-fingered hand flew to her mouth. "Oh!"

"She is a naiad," Gaara stated calmly.

A look of worry that bordered on frantic flashed across Kurenai's face. She swam closer to shore and held out her arms. "Give her to me. I'll take care of her."

All too willing to relieve himself of the light burden, Gaara walked closer and relinquished the naiad to Kurenai. The older woman cradled her in her arms for a moment before swimming out further into the lake. Before she dipped back under the water, she turned to look at Gaara. "At least a week before she's healed," she told him. "She's incredibly weak."

Gaara gave a slight nod of acceptance. Kurenai gave him one last, searching look, before she vanished beneath the water, taking the girl with her. The only thing that showed that they had been there were the ripples that flowed out from the spot, the slight waves lapping against the shore before dying out completely. Gaara gazed out over the lake for a long moment before he turned on his heel and walked away. One week, Kurenai had said. Well, he'd just have to come back then and get his information. Pleased with this plan, though his countenance didn't show it, Gaara stepped back out into the blistering heat and dry sand of his desert.

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_A/N: Well, that went rather well, I think. Chapter one, complete! I have plans for this story, oh yes... But giving them away would be cheating. Yes, Kurenai's a naiad. If you don't know who the nearly dead water spirit is then you probably shouldn't be reading this story. Ha, I laugh, I joke. Anyway, feedback is very much appreciated for this story. And now, for my infamous vote of the update! Please answer this in your review, because really, I need these for ideas and for things that I have yet to decide. Today's vote: Which major 'bad guy' (Akatsuki, Orochimaru, ect.) would you like to see in this story?_


	2. Water Spirit

_Disclaimer: I didn't own it last chapter. I still don't._

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When she first regained consciousness, the only thing Hinata was truly aware of was the water that engulfed her. Her head pounded in rhythm with the faint tides that the small body of water held and she vaguely recognized that she was not in her home lake and river. The water that flowed by her indicated the presence of another, but before Hinata could crack open her eyes and ask what was going on, she slipped back into unconsciousness.

Days later she woke, the pounding in her head faded to a mere pulsing sensation. She opened her eyes a crack, winced at the light that threatened to blind her, though it had to travel through feet of water, closed them again, and turned her head to the side. She heard an "Oh!" and felt the waters shift as someone swam over to her.

"I'm glad to see you've finally woken," a female voice, slightly gurgling slightly due to the water, said. Hinata opened her eyes slowly, only to see that she was lying on a sandy lakebed. She turned her head to the left to see the speaker, raising a sluggish hand to shield her eyes from the sun as she did so. The other naiad was older than she was, likely about twice her age, and wore a red and white seamless dress that hugged her slim frame, brown hair floating almost eerily in the water. Hinata attempted to sit up, winced and gasped slightly in pain, and gave up the endeavor.

"Careful," the elder naiad cautioned. "You're still weak."

"W-where am I?" Hinata mumbled, shutting her eyes closed, having no wish to see anything. The way the light reflected off of the more metallic particles on the lakebed hurt her eyes.

"You're in an oasis," the naiad replied. "My oasis, to be exact."

"How did I get here?"

Surprise filled the naiad's voice. "You don't know?" Hinata shook her head as much as she dared, though the slight movement left her in pain. She held absolutely still, waiting for it to die down. Perhaps the naiad picked up on this, for she waited until Hinata's headache had dulled to a slight ache before speaking. "I don't know the details, but you were brought here by the sand spirit of this desert. Apparently you had been unconscious in the desert itself."

Of course… Hinata remembered the dry heat and the sand shifting beneath her feet. The only thing she had been focused on was her task, but the needs of her rapidly weakening body had taken over and she had collapsed. After that, all she could remember was darkness. She quickly focused in on the elder naiad when she began to speak again.

"I've been caring for you for five days now," she continued. "What were you thinking, going out into the desert like that?"

The tone in the naiad's voice reminded Hinata of her older brother and her late mother. It had the same protective sound to it and it triggered an ache in her chest for her family. She swallowed, then opened her eyes. She struggled to sit upright on the sandy lakebed despite the warnings and protests of the naiad. Hinata looked at her, lowered her eyes, and bowed her head. "Thank you…" She trailed off, unsure of her healer's name.

"Kurenai."

"Kurenai-sama."

To Hinata's astonishment, Kurenai chuckled. "You don't need to bow," she told the girl, placing her fingers under her chin and lifting it upward. "And simply call me 'Kurenai'. Living like this, formalities really don't matter." Kurenai laughed in the rippling way that naiads tended to. "For most of us, anyway."

"Most of –" Hinata cut herself off, replacing the end of her sentence with a questioning look in her silvery eyes. Kurenai sighed and took pity on the girl.

"I don't care that much about formalities, and neither do most of the nomads and spirits that live here," Kurenai explained. "Of course, I don't know all of them. However, there are a few that do care, and a select number of those get angry if you don't address them properly."

Hinata could think of nothing to say but, "Oh."

"Anyway," Kurenai continued, "there's no need to discuss such things now. Why don't you tell me your name so that we can continue this conversation a bit easier?"

As soon as the older naiad brought this up, Hinata felt her cheeks flush red. She mentally berated herself for forgetting such an important detail. Bowing so that her hair floated more upwards than around her, Hinata mumbled her name. Glancing up, she saw Kurenai looked a bit confused. Blushing all the harder, Hinata raised her voice slightly to say, "Hinata."

Kurenai looked thoughtful. It seemed that her name had struck a chord within the naiad. "Hinata… You wouldn't happen to be of the Hyuuga, are you?"

She nodded.

"Ah. I thought I recognized those eyes."

"How do you know of my clan?" Hinata ventured to ask.

"Us oasis naiads are hardier than you forest ones. I visit my brethren in the forests from time to time," Krenai explained. Hinata shook her head slightly, confused.

"I've never seen you though," she said, but Kurenai was smiling.

"Yes, you have," she corrected, "but it was when you were very young. I haven't visited in a very long time." She smiled. "You've grown up to be quite the lady, Hinata."

Feeling very embarrassed, Hinata looked around for something to do, her eyes settling on the surface of the water at a spot where the angle of the sun didn't reflect as much and pain her eyes. She studied it for a moment, before asked, "Why did the sand spirit take me here?"

Kurenai sighed heavily, as though Hinata had struck on a sore spot with her. "I'm not entirely sure," she admitted. "This sand spirit never does anything without reason, and he never does anything for compassion." Hinata gulped. He didn't sound like the sort of person she usually talked to, though at one point her brother did fall under this category. "The only thing I can think of is that he wanted you alive so he could interrogate you," Kurenai continued. Hinata felt lightheaded at this bit of information.

"Int-interrogated?" she asked weakly.

"This desert _is_ his domain," Kurenai replied with a shrug. "He may simply want to know why you were here. I don't believe any naiad not born and raised here in one of the oasis's has ever been here before." She gave Hinata a searching look. "Is something happening back in the forests?"

Hinata considered Kurenai's words for a long moment. On one hand, if she told the naiad, perhaps she could get help from her. On the other, she had to be discreet in this task. Anyone could be an enemy. She lowered her head to look thoughtfully at Kurenai, taking in the naiad's appearance. She knew people couldn't be trusted on appearance alone, but she had cared for Hinata and she had herself said she hadn't left the desert in a long time. Nodding slightly, she opened her mouth to speak.

Before she got the chance, someone else spoke. The voice was unfamiliar, and Hinata was certain she'd never heard it before, but it struck a chord in her memory, like an itch she couldn't scratch. It was a deep, slightly raspy, unfathomably powerful, and quiet. There was no way anyone could mistake this voice for that of a female's.

"Kurenai."

Kurenai sighed. "Wait here," she told Hinata, who was all too happy to comply. She watched the older naiad swim up to the surface and hover there for a while. She could hear the soft murmurs of voices. There was a pause, another mutter from Kurenai, and the naiad ducked back into the water and swam down to Hinata. She hesitated, looking at her charge, then said, "He's here."

Dread filled Hinata. It was only slightly alleviated by Kurenai's next words: "I'm going to be there while you talk to him." She smiled slightly. "I want to hear what's going on. In any case, I don't believe he'll hurt you, but I don't want to take the chance. No, I'll be up there."

Hinata sagged with relief. "Thank you, Kurenai-sama," she whispered.

"What did I say about suffixes?" Kurenai reminded gently.

"Thank you, Kurenai?" she tried.

"Much better." Kurenai looked up at the surface of the water in worry and then back at Hinata. "We have to go now, Hinata," she told the girl gently. Trembling, Hinata nodded. She pushed herself up off the sandy lakebed and began to slowly swim towards the surface, knowing without knowing how that this simple action would change everything.

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_A/N: Yes, I know, you all want to get to the GaaHina stuff. I do too. But this chapter was necessary because I refuse to do that irritating skippy thingie that some authors like to do. on the upside, the interactions start next chapter, so you have that to look forward to. If you want to see the results of the vote, you'll have to check out the reviews because I'm lazy and it's really not that important to you guys at the moment. All right, it's time for the vote of the update! Today's vote: Which one, Minato or Sarutobi? Your answer is important, but I can't say why or it'll give away far too much._


	3. Of Poison and Portals

_Disclaimer: I sent away for the rights in the mail, but they haven't arrived yet..._

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He waited at the bank of the oasis, careful not to dip his feet even slightly into the water. Water meant mud, and mud was sand Gaara could not control. It took away his control and put his life in danger, and so he never went near it unless he had to. When the naiads surfaced, Kurenai appeared first, followed by the one he had brought. If he hadn't had so much control over his emotions, he likely would have widened his eyes in shock at how different she looked.

When he'd found her, she was frail and dry as paper. Even her hair was limp and fragile. An ethereal beauty had hung over her as if she was about to pass on into death. Now, though she still appeared to be incredibly fragile, as if she'd break if she were touched, she looked fuller, a healthy color in her cheeks. Her hair fanned out behind her, full of life. He found his eyes drawn to hers, eyes of the moon, silvery violet. He looked away from those almost immediately. The only thing that kept him from reaching out to touch her to see if she truly was the one he'd rescued was his incredible self-control and the barrier of water between them.

With great difficulty, he moved his eyes to look at Kurenai. The older naiad looked as she had when he'd seen her last, though admittedly unpleased. The cross look on her features was one, he decided, that was aimed at him, and his suspicions were confirmed when she narrowed her eyes at him. He supposed that she wasn't pleased that he had come, but he needed to question the younger naiad.

"Why did you come?" he asked, breaking the rapidly solidifying silence, fixing his eyes on the violet-haired naiad. Her eyes flickered up from the surface of the water to rest on him briefly, and then settled back down to the lake. Before she had the chance to say anything, Kurenai spoke.

"Traditionally, the first question in an interrogation is the person's name, Gaara," she informed him. Gaara spared her a quick glance and a mental exasperated sigh. If Kurenai hadn't healed the naiad, and if she weren't who she was, he wouldn't have put up with her. As much as he hated to admit it, she did have a point. That didn't mean he was going to follow that point, however.

When a long moment passed and it was clear that Gaara was not going to ask, Kurenai sighed audibly. "It's Hinata, in case you were wondering," she told the sand spirit, who nodded slightly in acceptance.

"Very well. Hinata, why did you come?" he repeated, not to be deterred from his original question. The naiad looked up at him, and this time kept her eyes on him, though she backed away in the water for what would be the equivalent of a step up on land.

"The land," she half whispered, half spoke. "T-the land i-is being…. Poisoned." She gulped. If his eyebrows were noticeable enough to make any change when raised, Gaara would have done so. Poison? He motioned for Hinata to continue with a flick of his wrist; she blinked and directed her vision back to the water, but when she spoke her voice was slightly stronger, as though she'd mustered up the courage to finally speak.

"The r-rivers and l-lakes too. We're sick a-and dying. Nobody knows what it i-is," she continued. "I offered to find out and s-stop it." She fell silent. Gaara considered what she had said for a moment.

"Why were you in the desert?" he finally asked, once the shock of what she had said had worn off. She shuddered, as if recalling an unpleasant memory.

"I-I didn't mean too," she admitted. Pink tinged her pale cheeks and she sank deeper into the water. "I r-ran into a rouge P-Portal on my way to the northern side of t-he K-Konoha Forest and ended up here. I tried t-to go b-back, but it v-vanished before I could."

Gaara let out a small breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. It did make a certain amount of sense, now that he thought of it. The Portals that connected parts of this world together were of two types: Stationary and rouge. The stationary ones never vanished and stayed in the same place on both sides, a nifty way to travel if you needed to get to the other side of one fast. The rouge ones, however, had the irritating habit of showing up where you didn't expect them too and suck you to the other side of them whether you wanted them too or not, and then disappearing. For this reason, most rouges were mapped and those areas of the forest avoided when they were active.

"You were going north to see if the poison had struck there too," he guessed quietly. There was a tentative, almost invisible nod from Hinata.

"That was the f-first part of my task," she said in equally quiet tones. Gaara noticed that most of her stuttering had vanished with the talk of her arrival in the desert. "F-from there I was to f-find out what's going on."

"How?"

"A… a friend of mine that v-visits the southern side," Hinata admitted. "S-she knows p-people that might be able to help."

Gaara watched the naiad curiously as her entire demeanor changed. Previously hunched over and staring at the water as if embarrassed, now her shoulders sagged and she sank into the water until only her eyes showed, and those were closed. Though he felt a small prick of confusion and curiosity, he smothered it quickly and watched impassively as Kurenai swam over to her young charge.

"What is it?" Kurenai asked gently. "Hinata? Are you feeling all right?"

There was a slight nod. It was a while before Hinata mumbled something that sounded to Gaara like bubbles, but Kurenai nodded in understanding. Apparently the naiad language – the one they spoke beneath the waves – was one he had yet to master. Kurenai lifted the girl out of the water so that her entire head was showing, speaking so softly to her that Gaara could not hear, and then turned to face the sand spirit.

"She believes she's trapped here," Kurenai said, "And, considering that it's almost the dry season, effectively, she is. There isn't a Portal around my oasis." Her gaze turned sharp and calculating as she stared at Gaara. He shifted ever so slightly beneath it, nervous. "Of course," Kurenai began, "there are other Portals in the desert, one of them quite close by."

At that, Hinata raised her head to stare disbelievingly at Kurenai. Gaara just looked at her. He could see the flaw in Kurenai's plan, but he allowed the naiad to continue to speak. "It's only a mile or so to the east of this place."

"Is it rouge?" Hinata asked, her sudden question hopeful.

"Yes and no," Kurenai replied. "It's stationary, but it has a habit of vanishing for weeks at a time. It should be open for a while. It's been closed most of the rainy season."

"Was that where you were?" Gaara asked suddenly, unable to help himself. The older naiad fixed him with a stare, but slowly nodded. He blinked in understanding. The Portal's presence certainly explained Kurenai's mysterious vanishing act for most of the rainy season. He had known about the Portal, but had never bothered to calculate when it would be open. He had no desire to leave the desert, and once he had determined that it wouldn't reappear somewhere else and cause trouble, he had left it alone. However, he could still see the flaw in Kurenai's plan, and it appeared that it had crossed Hinata's mind as well, for the hope in her eyes was darkening rapidly.

"How will she get there?" Gaara pointed out the flaw in the form of a question. To his surprise, Kurenai grinned at him.

"You'll take her," she replied promptly.

This time Gaara couldn't stop his eyes from widening. "Me." It wasn't a question.

"You."

"What makes you think I'll bring her to the Portal?" Gaara demanded. Kurenai gave him another look, this one intended to make him feel like an idiot. When she spoke moments later, he had to admit that she had succeeded, but only to himself.

"I would, but it's too close to the dry season," she pointed out. "Besides, you're the only one that I know of that can protect her from the dry and the heat. She'll die here if she's here during the dry season. You know that." She smiled grimly. "Besides, this poison that she's talking about could very well spread here."

Gaara let out a breath of annoyance. However he looked at it, Kurenai was right. His brother and sister certainly wouldn't be able to help, even if they were here. The dry season was coming up fast, and once the oasis began to shrink, there would be no way Hinata would be able to survive. He considered his options carefully, then sighed in defeat.

"I'll bring her there," he said at last. "But no further." He shot a glare at Kurenai and flicked his eyes over to Hinata. She was pale at the thought of traveling out into the desert again. Gaara didn't blame her, considering what had happened last time. Kurenai looked at her too.

"Hinata? Is that okay by you?" the older naiad asked gently. Hesitantly, the girl nodded.

"Good." Kurenai backed away from the girl until she was much closer to the bank than she had been previously. "Now. That Portal leads to the Calanki River. Do you know of it?" She poised the question to Hinata, who nodded hesitantly.

"Yes… but h-humans live there, so I-I've never gone."

"There's a village of humans there known as the Kage," Kurenai continued to explain. "Go there and ask for Asuma. Tell them Kurenai sent you. He'll be able to help you."

Hinata looked terrified. Her eyes were wide and she was biting her bottom lip so hard it was turning white. "H-humans?" she whispered.

Kurenai nodded. "Just tell them that Kurenai sent you and ask for Asuma and you won't be hurt. I promise," she added, seeing what Gaara had seen, that her words hadn't assured Hinata at all. Slowly, ever so slowly, Hinata nodded. "Good. You'll want to leave now, before the Portal closes."

She looked at both of them. "Good luck," she said, before diving into the water. Hinata ducked under the water for a moment before resurfacing. She looked at Gaara, gulped, then swam up to the bank a ways away from the sand spirit. He watched her as she slid out of the water, a white satchel hanging by a single strap from her neck and shoulder, something he hadn't noticed when he'd brought her here.

He waited until she'd inched to about a foot away from him. Without a word, he left, leaving her to shuffle after him.

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_A/N: Well, finally we have GaaHina speech! So I've officially shoved them together on this thing. Won't this be fun? Anyway, what's up with my reviews? I got nine for the first chapter and then only two for the last one? Can you guys give me at least three for this one? Deal? Good. All right, so this vote isn't a futuristic question vote. This one is a 'how have I been doing so far?' vote. Today's vote: Would you say that the characters are all IC so far?_


	4. Desert Dangers

_Disclaimer: Ha! As if. You guys need therapy if you think I own Naruto._

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Dry sand moved disconcertingly beneath Hinata's feet, welling up between her toes and spreading out from where she put her weight on it. The dryness of the particles irritated her skin and seemed to seep into her very body, but there was nothing she could do about it. She had to travel through the desert now despite her discomfort – and with the sand spirit of the desert.

Her eyes rose from the ground to look at her guide. Before she had been far too focused on explaining her position without giving away how bad it truly was; after all, these people didn't need to know what was going on. She had needed to explain the basics only. Everything else was both unnecessary and revealing too much information. Her home was in trouble, and that was really all that mattered. She hadn't had the chance to inspect the spirit. The naiad now studied Gaara as she might if her younger sister wanted a description.

The one thing she'd noticed before was the peculiar rune tattooed on his forehead in red ink, the same shade as his windblown red hair. She hadn't the faintest idea what the rune meant – the language was different than that of the fluidic runes the naiads used, and while some of her brethren studied other languages, it had never interested her. Hinata made a mental note to ask one of the scholars back home what it meant and continued her inspection.

He wore clothing in shades of red and black, styled oddly. It seemed to almost be stuck to his body, coming up to his wrists and ankles. He also wore boots, though the type was beyond Hinata's scope of knowledge. He also wore a black cloak drawn around his shoulders, the hood of which was resting on his back. A red scarf hung around his neck, the ends of the fabric vanishing behind his cloak. She assumed that the clothing was natural desert wear, but the nature of it confused her. The desert was hot, after all, so hot she could feel her skin burning in the rays of the unrelenting sun. Why be so covered up if it was so hot?

She had just gathered her courage to ask when her guide stopped. Hinata halted, and winced when the sun-heated grains of sand beneath her feet began to burn her sensitive skin. The boots, at least, made sense. "Um…" Hinata began timidly, "What are you d-doing?"

Her voice quailed when he turned to look at her. She'd noticed his eyes earlier too, and they were the main reason her old habit of stuttering had resurrected itself around him. They made her nervous, those teal orbs lined with black. He stared at her for a moment before replying tonelessly, "Calling Matsuri."

"Matsu—" Hinata began in confusion, but was cut off when the sand beneath her feet began to shift violently. She fought to keep her balance, but with a squeak fell down to the sand. Gaara, unaffected by the moving sand, seemed to sigh. He walked over to her and pulled her up by one arm, holding her steady until the excess movement ceased. When he let go, Hinata could feel the dryness of his hand on her skin, and unconsciously moved her own hand over to rub at it.

"Gaara-sempai." A girl younger than Hinata with short brown hair and wearing a similar outfit to Gaara's, except hers was in shades of tan, bowed. Hinata's eyes widened. Where at she come from? Surely not…. Her eyes drifted down to the sand. Had she come from the sand?

"Matsuri. I need you to look after the desert for a while," Gaara was saying. Hinata tilted her head fractionally to look at him. What?

Evidently the same thoughts had occurred to Matsuri, who frowned, puzzled. "But why? Are you going somewhere, Gaara-sempai?"

"No," he replied simply. Both Matsuri and Hinata waited for an explanation. He finally let out a huff of air and explained, "I'm bringing her to a Portal," he motioned towards Hinata, "and then I'm going to try to communicate with my siblings."

This explanation served only to confuse Hinata, but it seemed to make sense to Matsuri, for the girl was nodding in understanding. "I understand."

Gaara nodded at her and began to walk. Unsure as to what was going on and what she was meant to do, Hinata shifted uncomfortably, wincing as the hot sand struck the soles of her feet. Apparently Gaara noticed her discomfort, for he stopped walking. Without turning around, he intoned, "Come on."

Hinata shuffled towards him. Once she'd gotten close enough to the sand spirit to not be in danger of being left behind, he began to walk again. Afraid to say something, yet knowing she must as the silence was broken only by the whisper of the wind across the sand, she fixated her eyes on the sand and asked timidly, "S-siblings?"

"Is it any concern of yours?" The answer came much quicker than she had expected, and it was tart, edged with an emotion Hinata could not define. She lifted her head to see that Gaara had once more stopped, eyes glaring at her.

"Um…" She attempted a reply, but the words died in her mouth and she shrank back. "N-never mind."

Hinata was almost positive she heard a soft snort emit from the stoic sand spirit as he turned and began to walk. "Keep to my shadow," he ordered, startling her and causing the naiad to jump backwards. Hinata glanced down at the sand and noticed that there was a shadow there that hadn't been there earlier. Curious as to the cause of this phenomenon, she looked up, and gasped.

Of course, she really shouldn't have been surprised. He was a sand spirit after all. It was only natural that he'd be able to control the sand he lived in. Still, it was quite a shock – a fascinating one, but a shock nonetheless – to see a ribbon of shifting sand above her head, casting a shadow down on the sand below. Tentatively, she stepped into the shadow and let out an immediate and nearly inaudible sigh of relief as her blistering feet met with sand several degrees cooler than the ones not in the shadow. For a moment the temperature difference didn't make sense, but Hinata remembered that temperatures were easily changeable. The sand ribbon was likely there simply to keep the shadow up and thus make it easier to lower the temperature of the sand below.

"Thank you," she whispered.

She hadn't really expected a reply, and she was not disappointed. Gaara simply continued to walk, while she followed along behind, keeping to the shadow in order to prevent her feet from burning. They probably already had, she thought as her foot struck a small sharp rock and she let out a near silent cry, but that was no reason to continue to burn them. She'd check when she got to the Calanki River.

Hinata lost track of how far they went and how long it took. Twice she had been forced to stop and catch her breath, much to the irritation of Gaara. Once she'd heard rumbling under the sand itself, and from the way Gaara had rushed them along from that spot, she got the feeling that whatever had made that sound wasn't friendly. Also once she'd had to stop to eat and drink, taking some of the provisions out of her satchel. She'd tentatively offered some to Gaara, but the sand spirit had refused, and she had not offered again. Finally, after what she could only assume were hours of walking, the sun now shining directly behind them and the sand quite a bit cooler than before (the sand ribbon had been discarded several hours earlier), Gaara stopped and motioned for Hinata to step up. She did so uneasily, and stared at a plain space of sand.

"I-I don't see anything," she pointed out softly. "Are you sure…?"

"Yes." His reply was swift in coming and clipped short.

"But then, where…?" Hinata's question died on her lips as the sun's rays hit the dune she was staring at and then sank beneath the wave of sand completely, still shining twilight rays on the desert. Left behind on top of the dune was a Portal. It was beautiful, the colored lights within swirling around to create a vortex effect, the large oval shaped Portal large enough to encompass her entire body were she to walk through it. Glowing white light rimmed the edging of the Portal, containing the magic within. It looked no different than any other Portal, but to Hinata's eyes it looked more beautiful than all the rest.

"T-thank you," Hinata murmured, walking forward and turning to give Gaara a short bow. As she lifted her face, she was surprised to see what might have been the beginnings of a smile on the sand spirit's face. At the very least, his eyes were warmer than she'd seen them all day. The naiad turned and began to climb the dune, well aware of the watchful eyes on her back. When she got to the top, Hinata reached for the Portal, only to stop as the sand shook violently beneath her and with a small cry she toppled over, landing in an ungraceful heap at the base of the dune.

A loud, harsh cry split the atmosphere in two. Hinata raised her head, hair dripping with sand, to see what had caused the shriek, only to gasp. The culprit was a long worm, sand-colored body easily as thick as the giant trees back at her home. The segmented body rose out of the sand for over ten feet, the head of the beast long and pointed. Two giant red eyes were set on either side of its face, though it lacked any other sort of facial features, except for the gash that served as its mouth. When its jaws parted, Hinata could see the numerous long, dagger-like teeth. She paled, and swallowed the bile that rose in her mouth.

The sand worm opened its jaws and let out another terrifying screech. As if this was some sort of a signal, two others shot up out of the dunes, sending waterfalls of sand raining down below. A good amount of this sand landed on Hinata, effectively burying her under the sand. She struggled to free herself, but while she was stuck, one of the heads spotted her and she froze in terror. It reared its head slowly, then quick as lightning dove down, jaws parted and teeth dripping corrosive saliva that sizzled when it struck the sand. Hinata winced, squeezing her eyes tight as the worm lunged at her, knowing that she could do nothing, certain that she was going to die and her people with her –

– only to open her eyes and peek out from behind her arm which had involuntarily flown upwards to shield her face when the worm gave a frustrated cry and withdrew from its attack. Wondering what could have cause the worm to withdraw, she looked upwards to see sand dripping down onto the ground in front of her. Her eyes flickered over to Gaara, saw that the worm was now hissing at him, and understood. Gaara must have summoned a sand shield to protect her before the worm attacked, thereby forcing the sand worm to bite the sand instead of her. The acidic saliva the worm secreted must have dissolved the shield.

Hinata pushed herself up out of the sand, watching as the worms grouped together to lash at Gaara with their tails, the tips of which had flung themselves out of the dunes, showing her with still more sand. Her eyes were wide as the sand spirit who had acted as her guide dodged the bladed tails effortlessly and flung a barrage of sand at the creature's eyes. As they howled in pain, he darted over to her and pulled her up none to gently by her arm.

"Get through the Portal," he hissed in her ear, eyes fixed on the worms. Hinata felt her cheeks flush from the close proximity, but was far more concerned about the worms, knowing that they could kill her with one blow, though currently they were thrashing about in the sand, screeching in agony. "I've blinded them, but they'll sense any movement through the sand. Hurry."

He pushed her towards the Portal and Hinata struggled to keep her balance. The worms turned towards her as one, heads snapping around to fix now sightless eyes on her. Gaara stepped in front of her and the sand around him began to swirl. "Go." Not waiting to be told twice, Hinata made her way up to top of the dune, resisting the temptation to look behind her, trying her best to ignore the shrieks of the sand worms, the thuds that meant that Gaara had scored a hit, and the eruptions of sand that caused sand to rain down on her back that meant that the worms had once again missed.

Somehow she made it to the top of the dune. The Portal shone, a brilliant light in the rapidly fading twilight, inviting her through to the cool banks of the river that lay beyond the magic. She reached for it with her hand, but stopped when she heard a cry from Gaara and the unmistakable squelching sound of flesh being pierced. The naiad turned her head around in dread, and gasped, yanking her hand back to her side completely, when she saw the cause.

The worm had finally managed to score a hit, sinking its teeth into Gaara's right arm, inches away from his face. The millisecond of silence that followed allowed Hinata to catch the faint sizzling sounds of the saliva eating away at his flesh. Worm and sand spirit were only feet away from Hinata. The battle had been pushed much closer to her while she'd been climbing. Horror giving way to fury, Hinata ran forward and raised her hand above the worm's massive, but lowered, head, and slammed down onto it with her palm. Stunned, the worm's mouth opened enough for Hinata to grab Gaara's arm and pull it out of the teeth, and then slumped to the floor, blinded red eyes glossed over with shock.

Moments later the two other worms came to avenge their friend, who had lifted its head groggily and was shaking it to relieve it of the pain Hinata had inflicted on it. She was inching backwards, Gaara's left hand clamped over his right arm where the wounds were and bent over, eyes shut tight in pain. She pulled him back with her and shuffled ever so slowly back to the top of the dune. As she reached the Portal, the third worm finally regained all sense, and three worm heads swiveled to glare accusingly at Hinata. As one, they reared back, and dove at her.

Gaara reacted before she did, lifting his head and pushing Hinata back through the Portal. The worms, blinded, missed their target by inches, and the resulting sand explosion sent a stream of sand through the Portal, following Gaara. The journey through the Portal lasted mere seconds. Hinata fell to a thump on the grass, followed by Gaara, and then the sand, which scattered into the lush grass around them.

Hinata pushed herself up into a seated position and stared at the Portal. Gaara rose shakily, clutching at his arm, blood seeping through his fingers and dripping on the ground. Eyes fixed on the Portal, Hinata stood up even as she watched him let go of his arm and reached towards the Portal. The magic within the Portal began to swirl as the sun sank beneath the forested horizon completely, and before Gaara's bloodied fingers reached it, the inward colors swirled together so that they appeared to be no more than a tight oval of white light, then vanished.

The Portal had disappeared, leaving the sand spirit, whose hand crept back to his wound to hold it tightly, trapped at the cool, lush banks of the Calanki River.

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_A/N: I can officially say that this is both the longest chapter and the longest wait on this story so far. I hope the length and the action in this chapter makes up for the horrendous wait. Now, guys, I'm doing NaNo this month for the first time ever, so updates on this and any other story of mine will be sporadic at best, nonexistant at worst. I'll try to work on this some, but I'm mostly concentrating on my novel, so just keep that in mind. And yes, I know the official one isn't until November. I'm doing my first novel this month and the sequel to that in November. Anyway, since we've finally gotten this story up off the ground, it's time to move on to voting time! Today's vote: How well do I write fight scenes and should there be more?_


	5. Healing Waters

_Disclaimer: If I own Naruto, it's news to me._

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Blood dripped infuriatingly slow from his wound, poison from the worm's saliva clouding his mind. He drew a shaky breath as his vision wavered for a moment, then sharpened, bringing everything back into focus. The giant oak tree where the Portal was stationed stood there innocently enough, but as far as Gaara was concerned it had committed a heinous crime by allowing the Portal to vanish. He knew it was nonsense – Portals weren't controlled by any outside source, though the way they worked was unknown – but he couldn't help it. Perhaps if he hadn't been bitten he wouldn't be thinking so irrationally, for the worm's poison was quick, and he'd seen many unwary travelers die from it.

A wave of dizziness flooded him and he took a step forward to try and regain his senses. Unfortunately, this backfired, for that shift caused him to lose his balance and he fell heavily against the oak, slumping against it with his hand clutching at his wound and his head bent into his chest. He was vaguely aware of someone kneeling in front of his, but he ignored them, focusing all his energies on staying conscious and thinking. He tensed as a soft hand rested on his own and attempted to gently remove it from the wound, likely so that the owner – Hinata – could inspect the wound, but Gaara's hand continued to hold his arm tightly. It wasn't because of him; the poison had begun to stiffen his body and he quite literally could not move his hand away.

After a moment, Hinata gave up on trying to pry his hand away from his arm. She moved her hand away and whispered something under her breath that his foggy hearing couldn't catch. After a few moments he felt her hesitantly place her hands on his waist. Gaara inwardly tensed out of shock and confusion, not knowing what was going on. His body began to go numb and he decided that it didn't matter what Hinata was doing as he fought to stave off the effects of the poison.

"This'll hurt," Hinata whispered, her breath tickling his ear. Gaara felt a flicker of surprise that he could hear her again, then forgot about his surprise as his stomach began to roil unpleasantly. Hinata's hands jerked away from his waist as he began to retch. It seemed to take forever, but finally the clenching sensation in his stomach ceased. Gaara did not move from his spot, but after a few minutes noticed that he was getting back feeling in his body. He cautiously attempted to move some of his fingers, and was delighted to find that his limbs were now responsive. The heavy fog that had dulled his senses was lifting too, though slowly. Gaara looked up from the ground to see Hinata there, several feet back, face white and pale with relief and fear.

"What happened?" he croaked, voice harsh as it grated across his raw throat.

Hinata bit her lip, eyes downcast, then lifted her head and caught his gaze. "I-I moved the poison inside you from your blood to your stomach," she whispered. "Then you e-expelled it."

Well, that certainly explained a lot. The fast-acting poison normally was untreatable, as it entered the bloodstream and attacked that way. However, one inside his stomach, the organ had rebelled, and Gaara had been able to successfully vomit all the poison out of his body. It made perfect sense, but the fact that Hinata had been able to move the poison in the first place didn't.

Neither did the ghosting touch of her hands on his waist.

Mentally shaking it off, Gaara decided that the ability Hinata had demonstrated was likely a trait of her race, and started to stand, only to tense and slump back down into his sitting position as another wave of dizziness overcame him. He heard Hinata draw in a sharp breath and she crept closer to him. She hesitantly placed her hand on his injured arm, and when he didn't draw away, she began to once more attempt to gently pry away his hand from his wound. Gaara weighed the options quickly in his mind before allowing Hinata to loosen his grip. He removed his hand, and for the first time looked at the damage the worm had done to his arm.

There were three holes in his arm, each excreting an astonishing amount of blood. Of those three, two had hit the bone, but one hadn't, and that one hole went all the way through his arm so that Gaara had the disconcerting experience of seeing the ground through his arm, or what he could see through the blood. The skin around the holes was in the process of turning into a nasty shade of green, but that appeared to have halted halfway through, an effect of the poison that had been eliminated. Hinata touched his arm gingerly, and when he flinched, she hurriedly drew her hand away. That simple act had stained the tips of her fingers red, Gaara noted. Hinata stared at her hand for a moment before she stood.

"Wait a m-moment, please," she mumbled, before walking across the grass to stand at the bank. Gaara watched as she dove into the river and vanished. He kept his eyes there for a moment, then switched to look at the sand scattered in the grass around him. Though he hated the idea, he had to admit that he wasn't going to be able to get back to the desert any time soon. An idea kindled in his mind and he mulled it over as he attempted to prevent any more blood from leaving his body, eyes fixated on the sand.

He wasn't entirely sure how long he waited. In the desert, times didn't matter, except for daytime and night. Here, the darkness of night coupled by the reflection of stars in the river and the wash of silver light that emanated from the moon, casting a dappled pattern as it shone through the oak leaves, confused him. Nevertheless, it didn't seem long until Hinata returned, emerging from the river. Her clothes hung about her and her long violet hair cascaded over her shoulders, sparkling with water. Gaara spared her a single glance and returned to his idea.

Hinata took something out of her satchel and sat in front of him again. Lost in thought, Gaara didn't notice what she was doing until he felt something on his arm. Turning to look, he saw Hinata wrapping his arm tightly with a length of bandage that appeared to have some sort of paste on it. She was unaware of his gaze, but he allowed her to continue, surprising himself. Gaara adverted his eyes and stared at the sand again, allowing himself to relax as his eyes traveled over the swirls and crests.

"What is on the bandage?" he finally asked, curious.

"A special healing paste made by my people," Hinata replied. Her voice sounded distant and did not shake, a fact Gaara attributed this to her concentration as she tucked the end of the bandage away. "It needs to be soaked in deep water before it works, though."

"To activate the healing properties," Gaara guessed.

Hinata nodded. "Exactly."

There was a long silence after that, broken only by the gentle lapping of the river water against the banks as it rolled lazily down the riverbed. Gaara felt Hinata tug at the bandage until she was satisfied it was in place, then remove her hands and move backwards slightly. "W-we should go to the v-village," she muttered, her stutter returning now that her concentration was broken.

"Yes," Gaara agreed. With a nearly inaudible sigh he rose to his feet. Another wave of dizziness washed over him, but Gaara was prepared this time and was able to brace himself against it. When the dizziness passed, Gaara stretched his bloodstained hand out over the sand and focused on it, ignoring the pounding headache that had begun to form between his temples. When the sand began to shift, Hinata gasped and leapt to her feet, throwing Gaara off. His concentration broke and the sand fell back to the earth. He shot her an irritated look and she flushed pink with embarrassment. "Sorry."

Gaara suppressed a retort and directed his attention back to the sand. Spreading his fingers wide, hand still outstretched, he began to concentrate once more, picturing in his mind the idea that he'd formulated. The sand began to rise and whirl about, compacting tight and tight, a sea of loose sand within the whirlwind, until he could no longer see through the flying sand to the sand within, it was so thick. Gaara clenched his hand into a fist, and, ignoring the shaking of his hand, yet another side effect from blood loss, compacted the whirling sand so that it was a firm shell. With a sigh, Gaara let his hand drop. He had created a sand gourd from the sand that had come through the Portal. This way he would always have a supply of sand with him.

Gaara beckoned to the gourd. It rose, shakily at first, then steadied out as it hovered next to him. Even the simple effort it took to extend his senses and control sand, hardly effort at all, made him feel slightly dizzy. However, he did not show it, and turned to look at Hinata, who was staring at the gourd, a contemplative look on her face. "Hinata," he said, just enough to catch her attention. She started, then flushed and started walking. He followed, pleased that she didn't move too quickly.

The walk didn't last long, though it likely would have been shorter had Hinata been walking on her own. Then again… Gaara glanced over at his companion. With every step they took she seemed to grow more nervous, seemed to stiffen up in fear. As they crossed over a swell on the bank the tops of the village houses showed themselves and Hinata stopped. Her hands were fisted in her robe and she shrank back from the sight. Her skin was alabaster pale, and she seemed stiff and unwilling to move.

"Hinata," he said again. She jumped and looked at him. Her eyes were wide and frightened. He didn't bother to ask what was wrong. Instead he walked forward a few steps, then turned to look at her again. "Come on."

Hinata bit her lip, took a deep breath, then step by shaking step took the lead into the village.

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_A/N: Wow, that was a long wait. If you want to murder me for it.... Well, don't, because then I can't update ever again. Anyway, Yes, long wait, my only excuse is writers block. I finally got past that and updates should be faster now. Now, it's time for vote of the update! How well do I write scenes where people are injured?_


	6. A Village of Humans

_Disclaimer: I wish I could claim Naruto as my own. I can't. Aren't you happy?__

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Hinata was terrified.

It was one thing to accidentally run into a human settlement, as she'd done once before. It was another thing entirely to intentionally walk right into one. Humans had never been kind to her people, and though she'd never personally been hurt by them, there were others, others that she'd been very close to indeed…

"Hinata."

She jerked her head upright and looked back at Gaara. He appeared to be both tired and irritated, though she couldn't be certain. Despite the wound he had received and the effort he had to have been exerting to keep that gourd afloat, his facial expression and his voice didn't even waver. It was an enviable talent, but one that Hinata didn't want. Skills like that took practice, and they usually meant that the person who employed them had gone through something terrible, a secret they had to protect. Secrets like that weren't ones she had any desire to possess. After all, she'd seen what they'd done to her brother.

Despite the fact that she couldn't read what he was feeling, Gaara was doing a very good job of making her feel as though she'd done something naughty. "W-what?" she stammered, surprised that she could even speak at this stage.

"If you continue to stop, we will never get there." Gaara's voice and tone was perfectly bland, but the meaning was clear. One look at his injured arm brought Hinata to her senses, and she flushed with embarrassment.

There were other reasons, besides the arm, that the sand spirit couldn't leave her. He had no idea where he was in this world, much like she was lost in the desert. He couldn't leave her then because he needed her out; he couldn't leave her now because he had no idea where he was and no idea how to get home. It was a reversal of roles that, in other circumstances, may have been enough to bring a smile to her face. "Sorry," she whispered.

Gaara simply stared at her with stony eyes until her face reddened further and she turned away. Clenching her hands into fists so tightly that her fingernails scratched her skin, she forced herself to step closer to the village.

It was difficult. Every part of her mind screamed protests, and her body seemed to be numb. By the time she'd reached the point where she could actually see people guarding the village, she couldn't even feel the wounds she knew her fingernails were inflicting on her palms. Nevertheless, she continued, still thinking of the rebuke she'd received from Gaara.

"You there, halt!"

Hinata wanted to shut her eyes in a futile effort to avoid them. It took considerable effort to keep them open. Something warm trickled down her right fingers, and she recognized the liquid for what it was, blood. "K-k-kurenai s-s-s-sent u-us," she stuttered, voice strained. Her stutter was considerably worse than normal, something that, in the presence of humans, was something she could not suppress. If Gaara wondered about it, he said nothing.

The two guards looked at each other. "Think Sarutobi'll mind?"

The other shrugged. "Asuma said to let anyone from Kurenai in."

"Asuma's not Hokage."

"He's as good as."

"Kurenai told us to ask for Asuma," Gaara cut in smoothly. Hinata flicked his gaze over to him for a moment. If his wound pained him – and it certainly had to; the bandage she'd applied was already soaked with blood – he gave no sign of it.

"Hm." One of the guards appraised them. "That arm of yours looks bad," he said eventually.

"I think we can let you in. Shizune'll probably want to see you," the second decided. "Follow us."

They turned and walked towards the village, obviously expecting the two to follow. Hinata, still hesitant, was slower than Gaara, who had gotten ahead of her. He stayed relatively close to her, though whether it was an accident or intentional, she couldn't say. To keep herself from completely panicking, Hinata turned her head to look out at the river. The water, just as it always did, soothed her, though it would have been much more effective were she submerged in it. Although her attention was on the water, not the opposing bank, she caught a glimpse of something odd on the other side. Her curiosity roused, she lifted her head to get a better view, and stared at what she saw.

Two people stood on the opposite bank, pressed up against a thick-trunked tree. One of them was, from what she could see, a human. The other was a being of a race that she had never seen before. There was something strange about him, something that she sensed, rather than felt, which in itself was odd. She did not have heightened spiritual senses. The other odd thing about him was the shock of silver hair atop his head. The two were definitely involved in a relationship that was much more than platonic, if their kissing was of any indication. Hinata flushed red against her alabaster skin and turned her head away so that she stared straight ahead into the small of Gaara's back.

"Something wrong?" one of the guards asked, casting her a look over his shoulder. Mutely she shook her head. With a shrug, he turned back to face the village. It was much bigger up close. One of the guards ran ahead, presumably to inform somebody of their presence, while the second guard led them through the village. Humans watched silently as two strangers were led through their home, and Hinata felt their stares and shivered.

It was bigger than she had thought it was. The village seemed to have over a hundred citizens, much larger than the small tribe of naiads she lived in. Culture shock was the least of her worries, but she couldn't help to be awed when the largest building came into view. The guard led them up to it and motioned for them to enter. "Don't worry. The Hokage doesn't bite."

Hinata eyed the doorway apprehensively. Gaara looked back at her. "Go on," he said, and moved out of the way.

"I…" She shook her head minutely. How could she explain that the only reason she wasn't running for her life right now was because of his presence? Kurenai's reassurances had completely flown from her mind, and she didn't know if she could stand being here for much longer. The gourd of sand, lifted by Gaara's power alone, quivered slightly as Gaara stepped back to stand behind Hinata.

"Go," was all he said. Hinata swallowed, bit her lip, and, shaking, walked into the building. Behind her came Gaara, and behind him the gourd drifted through. The door shut behind them and a figure came down the stairs. Old and withered, he was swathed in loose, layered, white robes and a wide-brimmed straw hat. Upon seeing them he smiled and beckoned for them to come. "So, you'll be the spirits sent by my son's wife?"

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_A/N: That chapter was not worth an almost three month wait. I'm very, very soory you had to wait so long for such a short chapter, but hopefully updates will be fuller and longer now. This was supposed to go on for much longer, but I thought that this would be a good place to end it. Upcoming chapters... There'll probably be one more short-ish one and then they'll start getting long, so you've something to look forward to, at least. I'll try to update again in roughly a week, hopefully sooner. Vote of the Update: How well am I writing Hinata? _


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